Applying AI-Based Denoise to Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks
The latest denoise AI in Photoshop is quite remarkable. Shooting concerts with the Sony DSC-RX100M6 at ISO 1250 can result in pretty noisy images, but with a simple click, Photoshop can remove the noise and create an impressive, natural-looking image.
I had the distinct pleasure to once again experience the magic of Yes music performed live by Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks. The first time was on their inaugural tour in 2023 at the Palladium in New York City. This time the band was tighter and performing these complex musical compositions with absolute ease.
The concert was great fun. A fantastic suite of great, classic Yes songs along with three from their new album (Shine On, Thank God and True Messenger), “True.” The crowd was very enthusiastic – giving standing ovations all night long – and Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks were smiling and having fun. This was as complete a concert experience as anyone would want.
I brought my trusty Sony DSC-RX100M6 and, as usual, it delivered very nicely. I shot 773 images and just barely made it with two batteries. I should probably purchase a third battery to ensure I can make it through an entire concert with continuous shooting in the future.
During intermission I like to post some images on social media. Since I don’t have a computer, this means transferring the JPEG files saved by the camera to my iPhone, then performing a little bit of editing before posting. When I get home, I work with the RAW files to produce the final images. That’s when I noticed that the JPEG from the camera was quite poor compared to what I could produce after some simple post-processing of the image.
In post-production, I’ve started applying Photoshop’s AI-based noise reduction via the Camera RAW interface. The DSC-RX100M6’s 20.1 Mpixels CMOS sensor is good, but at ISO 1250, there is significant noise. The 25.0 release of Photoshop does a wonderful job of reducing the noise and producing a very natural-looking image.
As an example, above is an enlargement of the Band Geek’s guitarist, Andy Graziano shown in three stages. The first is the JPEG directly from the camera. Although pretty clean from a noise point of view, the image looks very flat. The second enlargement shows the RAW file directly from the camera. In this image the noise is quite apparent. The third image is after Photoshop’s AI-based denoise is applied via the Camera RAW interface when the image is first opened.
Photoshop’s AI-Based Denoise is Highly Recommended
The results from the denoise algorithm are quite stunning. Not has the noise been removed, but the image now takes on a very natural appearance that is very pleasing. I love the results so much I am now applying this filter whenever the noise level becomes apparent and distracting.
Next I decided to apply Photoshop’s generative fill.
I’ve been using this feature more and more to primarily clean up something in the shot that wasn’t meant to be there. Things like marked up walls, scratched equipment, or extra objects on the floor.
When I cropped this shot of Jon Anderson, I thought the water bottle became a distraction, so I asked Photoshop to remove it. Not only did the AI remove the objects, it did a nice job of extending Jon’s shoulder and added more scarf. Quite amazing from a single click. Drawing this would have taken me a long time and may not have produced as natural-looking an image.
Wow. Huge Richie and the Geeks and Yes (Jon’s version) fan. These are great pics!
Thanks for kind words Dave!